So, my studio kitchen has spread into the rest of my apartment. While it is loads of fun working on multiple projects, space can be an issue.  Why not use the rest of my tiny place to the best advantage?

I inherited a used wide format printer, which is named Bertrand, about two years ago. Being impatient, I took the printer home and began to use it immediately, without investing adequate time to learn about or calibrate it. Consequently, I have been frustrated with intermittent quality issues from time to time.

Yesterday, after spending about an hour trying to research the source of color banding in the prints, I gave up the task and tuned into Netflix for solace. This morning, I thought I would try again. I spent six hours researching, reading, cleaning, calibrating and experimenting. And, the results were well worth it.

Thank you for your patience and all your efforts Betrand!

I have received a request to participate in a window display for the Open & Out project in Santa Rosa. The Museum of Sonoma County is featuring works, from several program participants, from December through March. What a freaking awesome opportunity to share The HUman element project with passersby and museum visitors.

Now it's time to get to work. I have two weeks to put together a new mural using a different format. Frantically fun and fabulous!

Thank you to everyone for including this project which is so close to my heart.

The Human element. I installed The HUman element "mur-all" this morning. It was amazingly easy to do alone and in costume. Dressed as SweetFrau I put up the three panels quickly and easily. And, had an awesome and inspiring conversation with Juan, who works for the City of Santa Rosa and is an aspiring photographer. He showed me some of his images they were great. He seems especially talented with portraits.

The mural is located in front of Miso Good Ramen at 507 4th street near the corner of 4th and B.

The HUman element.  Since the mural is divided into three pieces, I was able to attach the element blocks to the boards in my infamous studio-kitchen. But, finishing them in the apartment is not possible due to the fumes created by the acrylic top coat.

So, once again, my friend Pam Rowen-Herzog and her family allowed me to work in their barn. Which means multiple trips to Cotati for a few days to apply additional coats of the sealer. And, quick stops downtown to gather acorns from some prodigious trees to feed to Chewy when I arrive at the barn. I have spoiled that crazy pig for years, bringing treats with me. So, if he hears my voice he comes running over and can get quite vocal.

The HUman element. The layout of the mural is finished, the boards have been gridded, the colors have been assigned and the element blocks have been printed. Now comes the scary part... putting it all together. Seriously, I had a great deal of anxiety about this. Working with the paper I chose for this project has been a challenge with a number of failed experiments and botched samples.

The pink paper is incredibly difficult to deal with. I needed to develop a new technique and use extreme care when working with it. I had so much anxiety about this on Saturday, that I decided NOT to work on on it as planned. Instead, I frittered away the day feeling the anxiety rising, while working on another part of the project and watching Netflix. Which, turned out to be just what I needed.

It was a weird experience to "sit with" that much anxiety yesterday, rather than running away from it or trying to push or force my way through it. I reflected on the validity of the anxiety, and followed threads of thoughts back to entrenched negative beliefs about myself and fear. I found doubt, mistrust, reluctance, insecurity, suspicion and a mindset of scarcity and fear. It was an awful and awkward experience. Yet, I could feel a bubbling energy underneath the anxiety, which was pleasant at times. Fascinating and enlightening.

I woke up today, with mild anxiety and thought... Lets just start slow and see what happens. I know what I am doing and I can learn as I go. Taking this relaxed view, I was able to work calmly and efficiently. And, the results were fantastic!

Here are some images from the work in progress in the studio-kitchen!

The HUman element. I have been working on the images from the photo session for past few days, basically tweaking the contrast and composition/crop of the images.

Today, I began blocking out the layout of the element blocks for the large mural. It was interesting and exciting to see them all together, since I have been working on them, and treating them individually since obtaining them. The idea was to combine the images in a cohesive manner to captivate and carry a curious eye from one image to another, while showing the diversity of the humans pictured. I could feel life teeming, moving, and almost bursting forward seeing them laid out as a group on the floor in my tiny apartment.